Getting Out Of

Survival Mode
The Keys to a Perfect Morning

BY BENJAMIN HARDY
 INTRO

How This Checklist Works

Obviously, you don’t need to do all of the things on the following four pages.
Think of this checklist as a buffet from which you can select the one’s that work
for you.

Note: there are likely several things you may try that aren’t on this list. Also,
your morning routine will likely change over time depending on the various
seasons of your life. For example, sometimes I’m highly focused on writing and
thus my morning routine is directed toward focused work. In other seasons, I
spend more time in the mornings with my kids, or running.

No matter which season of life I’m in, a few things remain constant:

● Prayer/meditation
● Journal writing
● Cold showers

If you only have a few minutes, try one or more of the following (if you have
more time, experiment with different combinations of the checklist):

● The cold shower/breathing exercise (3-5 minutes max)

● Prayer/meditation to orient yourself toward your highest intentions and
gratitude (2-10 minutes max)
● Journal thought-dump and writing vision (10 minutes max)
● 5-15 minutes of intensive physical activity (e.g., burpees, air squats,
push-ups, lunges, planks)

Scroll down for the checklist

 CHECKLIST

The Keys to a Perfect Morning

❏ Spend 5 minutes before you go to bed mapping your top

1-3 priorities for the next day

❏ Spend 10 minutes before bed thinking about your #1

goal or #1 problem you’re trying to solve. This will prime
your subconscious while you sleep. As Thomas Edison has
said, “Never go to sleep without a request to your
subconscious.”

❏ Go to bed 7 hours before you intend to wake up

❏ Don’t look at any electronic screens 30-60 minutes

before going to bed

❏ Don’t check email/social media within 60 minutes of

going to bed (this is unplugged time to be present with
family and to rest/recover from day)

❏ Have an alarm set across your room so you have to get

out of bed to quiet the alarm

❏ Spend 2-10 minutes in prayer/meditation

Focus on gratitude, your goals, and where you are most
needed today. This will set your day’s trajectory on the things
that really matter. It will also provide you with an abundance
mindset where you expect good things to happen for you.
 CHECKLIST

The Keys to a Perfect Morning

❏ Pull out your journal and write by hand anything that

comes to your mind related to your #1 goal or #1
problem you’re trying to solve. This will arouse your
subconscious breakthroughs you had while you were asleep.
As Napoleon Hill has said, “Your subconscious mind works
continuously, while you are awake, and while you sleep.”

❏ During your journal session, write your big picture

vision/goals down in bullet point form and in
present-tense (e.g., I’m a best-selling author, I’m making
over $250,000/year, I’m fully connected and present with my
wife and kids, etc.).

❏ Spend 15-45 minutes in intensive physical fitness

❏ Consume 30 grams of protein (plant-based protein powder

in water is great)

❏ Spend 15-60 minutes in focused activity on a big picture

goal or passion project (one of those things you’ve been
procrastinating but want to do)

❏ Don’t check email or social media for at least 60 minutes

after waking up
 CHECKLIST

The Keys to a Perfect Morning

❏ Take a cold shower. If this shower is immediately following

physical fitness, just start with cold. If it is not, start warm and
wash your body, then completely switch the temperature to
cold for the last 30-60 seconds of shower. During shower,
breathe heavily in and out through your mouth. This
breathing technique comes from “Iceman” Wim Hof, who
holds 7 world records for withstanding extreme cold. He has
a method to withstand cold: breathe deeply yet relaxed for 30
seconds, until you can feel what Hof calls the inner fire—a
sense of euphoria that extends from cranium to toes.

❏ Listen to or read uplifting content (you can do this while

you exercise if that’s convenient). This will get you motivated
and energized to tackle the day. A few recommendations:

❏ The Compound Effect by Darren Hardy

❏ Awaken the Giant Within by Tony Robbins
❏ Essentialism by Greg McKeown
❏ Daily Stoic by Ryan Holiday and Stephen Hanselman
❏ Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert
❏ As a Man Thinketh by James Allen
❏ Relentless by Tim Grover
❏ The Power of Starting Something Stupid by Richie Norton
❏ The Power of Intention by Wayne Dyer
❏ Grit by Angela Duckworth
 CHECKLIST

The Keys to a Perfect Morning

❏ After you’ve spent a few minutes purposefully preparing

yourself for HOW YOU INTEND TO BE that day, lovingly
interact with your loved ones. If you live alone, send a few
kind texts to important people in your life

❏ If you have kids, play with them for as much time as you
can. Be sure to take a few minutes before interacting with
them to orient yourself. Don’t reactively wake up and then go
be with them. You won’t be on your A-Game.

❏ If you have creative endeavors, spend 60-90 minutes in

focused activity on a big project. Research has found that
your willpower is highest when your first wake up, and your
brain is most attuned to creativity. Thus, if you make the
time, the morning may be the time when you produce your
best and most important work, as is the case for me!

❏ If you’re doing creative “Deep Work” immediately upon

waking up, try listening to instrumental/ambient songs
on repeat. In her book, On Repeat: How Music Plays the
Mind, psychologist Elizabeth Hellmuth Margulis explains why
listening to music on repeat improves focus. When you’re
listening to a song on repeat, you tend to dissolve into the
song, which blocks out mind wandering (let your mind
wander while you’re away from work!).
 BOTTOM LINE

Most people are in SURVIVAL MODE

People are living their lives reactively. They wake up and immediately
check their smartphone. They feel RUSHED and BUSY immediately upon
waking up.

Their whole day and life reflects how they wake up. Consequently, their health
and relationships suffer.

Moreover, their overall happiness and well-being are lacking, as they are not
living according to their highest values and goals.

The purpose of the MORNING ROUTINE is to GET YOU OUT OF

SURVIVAL MODE.

You do that by giving yourself space in the morning to orient yourself with the
person you intend to be. You also orient yourself toward your highest goals
and priorities.

If you have a consistent morning routine, your life will be very different in 3-6
months. No longer will you be RUSHED and REACTIVE. Rather, you’ll be
living with INTENTION and PURPOSE.

If you are serious about developing a MORNING ROUTINE and want more
information, systems, coaching, and accountability, I have created an online
course that will help you. Click the button below for more information.

Learn about the Morning

Routines course
https://go.benjaminhardy.com/morning-routines-waitlist